The thing that is so terrifying about this is that we’ve seen this dangerous rhetoric before. Nixon said these same words. So did Putin. And Hitler. And we know how all of those turned out.

This attempt to discredit and demonize the press is alarming. A free press is crucial to a democracy. And it’s one of the only checks to our government.

Fortunately, there are finally some Republicans who recognize this and realize how off the rails Trump really is.

On Saturday, John McCain appeared on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd. And he warned that what Trump is doing to the press is “how dictators get started.”

McCain said,

“We need a free press. We must have, it’s vital. If you want to preserve democracy as we know it you have to have a free, and in many times adversarial press. And without it I’m afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time.

As NBC News reports, “McCain clarified that he wasn’t referring to the president as a dictator, but that attacks on journalists who are questioning those in power are usually a hallmark of autocratic governments.”

“When you look at history,” McCain stated, “the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I’m not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I’m just saying we need to learn the lessons of history.”